Dawn
by Ebony Raven
Summary: Remus is being plagued by his nightmares again and wallows in his depression. Can he and Sirius muster up the courage to face their feelings and possibly live happily ever after?
1. Sunrise

**Warnings: shonen-ai (boy/boy love), slight violence, angst, use of the "H" word**

**Disclaimers: All the characters, places, things, etc. in this story belong to J.K. Rowling. Sue me and you'll only get heaps of Star Wars books and outdated lightsabers =P **

**Notes: In light of your reviews, I've uploaded this new version of my fic. And I've also added the "slash alert" to the summary. Thank you to everyone who reviewed ^_^ Constructive criticism is always appreciated ^_^**

_Italicized words _are thoughts.

****

**_Dawn_**

**_By Ebony Raven_**

****

**Chapter One: Sunrise**

The sky was just beginning to lighten, heralding the approach of the sun. Peace and tranquility reigned all over the grounds of Hogwarts as students, faculty, and administration alike continued their undisturbed slumber. 

But peace was nowhere to be found in Remus Lupin's mind. He was deep in the clutches of his ubiquitous nightmares, nightly reminders of his dreadful curse. He dreamt of blood and death, usually of countless strangers, nameless faces distinguished only by varying expressions of horror, fear, or disgust. On the worst nights, those faces would be replaced by ones he knew well; on these nights, he dreamt of his friends, either of him delivering the bite that would doom their lives for eternity, or of him feasting on their blood and flesh. 

Fortunately perhaps, he did not dream of the Marauders this time. But his current dream was perhaps just as painful. For now he dreamt of that fateful night, the night when his life was changed forever. He could still feel the searing pain of the werewolf's bite, could still hear his own tiny voice screaming in a vain attempt to call for help. 

Just as he thought he was going to die from sheer agony, without warning, he awoke. Breathing heavily, he tried to calm his racing heart. He hoped he hadn't woken any of his roommates up. Feeling apprehensive, he listened to the various sounds in his dorm room. He recognized Peter's incessant snoring, James's muttering ("…Lily…will you go out with me…no, don't hit me…"), and Sirius' quiet breathing. It seemed like they had slept through his nightmare. 

_Wait, was that Sirius' voice? _

No, it was probably just James obsessing over Lily again. Remus breathed a sigh of relief. He knew that his friends knew about his nightmares but still… He didn't want them to worry. They had already done so much for him. 

_Especially Sirius… _

Remus blinked and waved the thought away. No use pining over what you couldn't have. He sank back into his depressed state. 

"I don't deserve them…" Remus murmured forlornly. 

He sighed again, this time a melancholy one, and fought back tears. He understood that his friends deserved to know about his dreams, if only for their own safety, but Remus was afraid. He was sure they would be disgusted or frightened and then he'd lose the best (and only) friends he'd ever had. At that thought, he started crying in earnest. He tried frantically to keep quiet but gave up the effort. He resumed his wallow in self-pity. 

_It may be selfish, but I'm not going to lose them over this. I'd rather die.  _

*****************************************

"It's almost dawn…" Sirius noted absently. 

He'd only been sleeping for a few hours when he suddenly woke up without knowing why. Then he heard it. There were whimpers coming from Remus' bed. Sirius sighed. Remus was having nightmares again. Sirius desperately wanted to go to him and… 

_Do what? Comfort him? Hug him? Kiss him? In your dreams, Black. _

Sirius blinked in surprise.Where had **those** thoughts come from? He couldn't possibly feel that way about Remus, could he? 

Sirius had never thought of himself as gay. Sure, he'd gone out with some guys but, for the most part, girls were his date of choice. But now that he thought about it, none of the relationships he'd ever had (with either girls or guys) had lasted more than a week or so. He didn't even think the word "relationship" applied to what he'd had with them. It was more like a passing fling than anything else. But Sirius didn't think it was because he was fickle or polygamous. He just didn't feel any sort of connection with those people. 

_But with Remus…_

 With Remus, it was different. It felt **right**, like they were two parts of a whole. 

"Bloody hell…" Sirius grumbled, "What in blazes am I thinking? I'm turning into such a sap…" 

_And all because of a certain werewolf. Albeit a certain gorgeous, understanding, kind, and intelligent werewolf. _

Groaning in frustration, Sirius buried his head into his pillow. This was what happened when he didn't get enough sleep. 

_I'd better think of something else… Hmm… The whimpers have stopped. _

And indeed they had. But before long, the whimpers were replaced by quiet sobs. 

Sirius struggled with himself. He knew Remus was ashamed of his nightmares. Who knew what kind of reaction he'd get if he crawled into Remus' bed and tried to console him? 

_I don't care. He's my friend and I'm sure as hell not just going to sit here and listen to him cry. _

With that, Sirius got up and started walking to Remus' bed. 

_I sure hope I know what I'm doing._  

******************************************

Well, that's the first chapter. It's my first attempt at making a fanfic so please cut me some slack ^_^ If I get enough positive or constructive reviews, I'll make the next chapter ^_^ So please tell me what you think! ^_^


	2. Hope and Despair

**Warnings: shonen-ai (boy/boy love), slight violence, angst, use of the "H" word**

**Disclaimers: All the characters, places, things, etc. in this story belong to J.K. Rowling. Sue me and you'll only get heaps of Star Wars books and outdated lightsabers =P **

**Notes: Here, finally, is the next installment of Dawn. Many thanks again to everyone who reviewed. I hope I can meet all of your expectations satisfactorily ^_^**

_Italicized words _are thoughts.****

**Chapter Two: Hope and Despair**

Remus was almost too deep in his sorrow to notice the footsteps approaching his bed. **Almost**, but not quite. Remus immediately stopped crying and pulled up his blankets to cover his tear-streaked face while wondering who could be awake at this ungodly hour. Had he woken up one of his roommates after all?

_Well, if it has to be one of them, I hope it's Sirius…_

Remus groaned inwardly. Why didn't his subconscious just leave him alone? He had enough problems already without worrying about his inexplicable attraction to a certain raven-haired, blue-eyed prankster. Well, maybe it **wasn't** so inexplicable. In Remus' mind, Sirius was the epitome of perfection. 

Soft, shiny, blue-black hair. 

Unbelievably blue eyes that seemed to penetrate even the most formidable of mental barriers. 

A toothy grin that could melt the coldest of hearts. 

Yes, when he thought about it that way, Remus knew why he had fallen in love with Sirius. What he wanted to know, and the cause of his greatest suffering, was why **he** had to fall in love in the first place. Being a werewolf, he was destined to be alone. 

Remus suddenly realized that he was on the verge of tears again and quickly derailed his current train of thought. He had almost forgotten about his incoming visitor. And after his latest dip into despair, his opinion on whom he wanted his visitor to be had changed radically. He desperately did **not** want Sirius to see him like this. 

_He's going to think I'm such a baby…_

Remus strangled that notion before it could affect him too much. But he didn't really need to. A mere moment later, all thoughts were scattered from his mind when the voice he least wanted to hear, and yet could not get enough of, called from outside his curtains. 

"Remus? Are you all right?"

_Someone **please** just kill me now…_

Remus didn't answer, hoping Sirius would give up and go back to sleep. He was beginning to think his plan had worked when Sirius spoke up again.

"Remus?"

_Please… Just go back to bed… You musn't see me like this…_

A long and pregnant pause followed Sirius' last inquiry. Remus heaved an inaudible sigh of relief only to stop breathing a moment later.

_Oh no… _

He heard his curtains swish open, then silence.

_I am **so** glad I slept facing away from that side…_

Remus closed his eyes tightly and tried to stay completely motionless. 

_Please think I'm asleep… **Please** think I'm asleep…_

***************************************

Sirius was continuously arguing with himself as he tiptoed towards Remus' bed. 

_What am I doing???  
  
_

_::You're going to help a friend you've secretly had a crush on for years.::_

_And exactly **how** do you justify the insanity of what I'm about to do?_

_::Justify? Who said I was going to justify anything?::_

_Then **why** in bloody hell am I doing this???_

_::Because you want to.::_

That shut up Sirius' side of the mental "conversation." He had to admit, his inner voice had a point. But this admission made him seriously question his current state of mind.

"I'm going crazy…" Sirius muttered under his breath, "James is **so** going to get a kick out of this. But then again, **I'm** not the one who sleeps with a stuffed animal and pretends it's my not-so-secret crush whom I don't have the guts to ask out."

_Look who's talking. Or did you already forget about **your** not-so-secret crush whom you don't have the guts to ask out?_

Sirius mentally told his subconscious to take a hike and wondered why he had such a snide inner voice. He set aside that thought for later and concentrated on not tripping in the dark dormitory. 

_Oh sure. **That** would really impress Remus._

Sirius imagined booting his subconscious to Timbuktu and it shut up, after a parting snicker. Sirius sighed with mingled frustration and relief. Now that he didn't have **that** to deal with, he could concentrate on what exactly he was going to say to Remus. More specifically, he had to think of something to say that wouldn't get him kicked off Remus' bed and out of his life. 

After a few seconds of intense contemplation, Sirius finally decided to just be himself. But only up to a point. He had to be more supportive and, yes, serious than he usually was. Satisfied with his decision, he took the last few steps towards his destination. 

_Well, I might as well get this over with…_

"Remus?" Sirius said softly, hoping his voice didn't betray his nervousness, "Are you all right?"

He waited for several long seconds before repeating himself. Like the first time, only silence answered his query. 

_Maybe he's asleep. But I just heard him crying a few seconds ago. _

_Maybe he didn't hear me._

_Or maybe he just doesn't want to see me…_

Sirius cut off that thought before it could finish, but not before it sent a pang through his heart. He ignored it and tried to decide what to do next.

_What if he isn't really asleep? What if he really needs someone to talk to but is just too afraid to ask? What if…_

Sirius stopped his useless pondering. There was no point in dilly-dallying. If he really wanted to know, he'd have to see for himself. **That** meant peeking into the curtains of Remus' bed.

_Isn't that an invasion of privacy?_

_::Who cares? Just get on with it.::_

Sirius mustered up all the courage he could and parted Remus' curtains as quietly as he could.

Sirius' heart stopped, then started beating so loudly he was sure the others would wake up. 

_This is ridiculous… I'm going back to bed._

But Sirius couldn't move. He was transfixed by the sight in front of him. 

_God… Remus is beautiful when he's asleep…_

_::You think he's beautiful whatever he's doing.::_

_Well, it's **true**. He **is** beautiful._

Sirius shook his head as if to clear it and focused on the task at hand. He had a decision to make, after all.

_I probably shouldn't wake him… After all, he hasn't been sleeping well lately…_

_I'll just talk to him tomorrow._

Slightly relieved at having more time to prepare for his confrontation with Remus, Sirius crept back to his own bed. Somehow, he was sure that he had made the right decision.

_Remus will almost certainly not want to talk about his nightmares at the crack of dawn. I'm really better off waiting until tomorrow._

Taking comfort in that thought, Sirius quickly fell asleep again.

*************************************

Well? What do you think? Is it ok? I was trying to choose between making this a short fic with only two chapters or a series. I decided on the latter so the conclusion of this chapter is probably not what you expected ^_^ I hope it wasn't too bad. Thanks for reading! I'll try to post the next chapter as soon as possible ^_^


	3. Flirtation and Confusion

**Warnings: shonen-ai (boy/boy love), slight violence, angst, use of the "H" word**

**Disclaimers: All the characters, places, things, etc. in this story belong to J.K. Rowling. Sue me and you'll only get heaps of Star Wars books and outdated lightsabers :P **

**Notes: After abandoning this fic for two years, I stumbled upon it again and realized that the last two chapters (3 and 4) needed some editing. And I've already thought of the ending, in case there are people who are still waiting for closure. I still have a couple of midterms, though, so the last chapter won't be up until Thursday (at the earliest). Anyway, here's the edited version of Chapter 3. **

_Italicized words _are thoughts.

**Chapter Three: Flirtation and Confusion **

"Hey Remus! Wake up, sleepy head!"

Remus woke up with a start. He groggily rubbed his eyes and looked up to see James standing beside his four-poster.

_What? Why am I still in bed?_

"Yo, Remus. Hurry up and get dressed or we'll be late for class. It's not like you to sleep in." James looked a bit concerned.

_Oops._

"Sorry, Prongs. I'll get ready as fast as I can." Remus jumped out of bed and hurriedly pulled his robes on before grabbing his book bag.

_Stupid, stupid. I didn't mean to fall asleep again. I just meant to doze until Sirius went back to his own bed._

Remus suddenly realized that he and James were alone in their dorm. "Where are Sirius and Peter?"

"I told them to go ahead and get breakfast. Sirius looked like he wanted to stay, but I told him he'd be able to see you soon enough." James winked at Remus, who was bright red and gaping like a fish.

_He's kidding, right? God, I hope he's kidding._

:_No, you don't._:

_Shut up!_

"Prongs! You know you shouldn't tease Sirius like that! He might find out that I…" Remus cut himself off quickly, scanning the area for any eavesdroppers.

"Don't worry about it, mate. Padfoot's as dense as a brick wall when it comes to things like that." James looked at his watch and quickened his pace. "We'd better run or we'll miss breakfast."

Remus and James arrived at the Great Hall in record time. While shoveling food onto his plate, Remus glanced surreptitiously at Sirius, who was playing with his oatmeal. Seemingly oblivious, Sirius continued to levitate a few globs of oatmeal and tried to spin them around. Then, suddenly, Sirius looked up and, seeing Remus and James at the table, dropped his food back into his bowl.

"Morning James, Remus! Took you guys long enough. Styling your hair again, Prongs?" Sirius smoothed his hair with exaggerated motions while batting his eyelashes at an imaginary mirror.

"Shut up, Padfoot. You know very well that Sleeping Beauty here," James pointed his spoon at Remus, "Is the reason we're late."

_Thanks a lot, James._

"I'm really sorry, guys" Remus blushed, "I didn't mean to sleep in."

"I was just kidding, Moony. Don't sweat it." Sirius grinned, "Besides, you can make it up to us by planning our next prank."

Remus rolled his eyes. "Thanks, but no thanks. In case you've forgotten, I'm a prefect. I'm above such displays of insubordination." Remus lifted his chin and pretended to sniff haughtily.

"Oh you know you want to, Remus. No use in denying it." Sirius smiled seductively. "I'll even make it worth your while, if you know what I mean."

_Oh God. Did he just say that? I was hearing things, wasn't I? Oh God. _

Remus frantically suppressed the blush he knew was threatening to light up his face. He raised his eyebrow, trying to act unconcerned. "And what makes you think I'd be interested in anything you have to offer, Mr. Black?"

_I am interested. But you're not, and it hurts when you pretend like you care for me in that way._

Sirius looked startled for a moment, and then there was a flash of hurt in his eyes that was gone just as quickly. Remus dropped his façade, reached out for Sirius' hand and said, "Sirius, I…"

"Hey, I hate to interrupt your flirting session, but we're going to be late for Charms." James stood up and quickly walked towards the exit of the Great Hall, with Peter scurrying in his wake.

Sirius looked silently at Remus for a second, and then he stood up. "Come on, we don't want to be late."

Remus could only nod speechlessly as he stood up and followed Sirius towards their classroom.

_Was he hurt by what I said? I really didn't think he would be. Why would he be hurt? Does he know? Did he finally figure it out?_

Remus' mind was a jumble of thoughts as he walked down the corridors in Sirius' wake.

_Does he know I love him?_

Love it? Hate it? Review!


	4. Watching and Waiting

**Warnings: shonen-ai (boy/boy love), slight violence, angst, use of the "H" word**

**Disclaimers: All the characters, places, things, etc. in this story belong to J.K. Rowling. Sue me and you'll only get heaps of Star Wars books and outdated lightsabers :P **

**Notes: Yes, after two long years, I've decided to finally finish this fic. But not now. I just edited some grammar and punctuation errors that for some reason I failed to notice the first time around. I'll try to have the last chapter up in a couple of days. **

_Italicized words _are thoughts.

**Chapter Four: Watching and Waiting**

Sirius sat down heavily on the grass. What a horrible day it had been. Remus had been avoiding him like the plague since they'd had that jokingly flirtatious conversation.

_I wonder what I did wrong. Did I offend him? Maybe he's homophobic. Doesn't seem likely, with him being a werewolf and all. It doesn't seem right that he'd be prejudiced against gay people. But who knows? Even after all these years, he still isn't open about himself. Doesn't he trust us? Or is he afraid to get too close?_

Sirius leaned back on the tree behind him, still deep in thought. He desperately wanted to seek Remus out, but he was deathly afraid that Remus would send him away, ignore him, yell at him, or any of a number of scenarios that his paranoid mind had cooked up. So now he had retreated to a quiet corner of the Hogwarts grounds, at a loss regarding his next move.

Sirius was not a sedentary person by nature, and eventually he could no longer stand his current inactive state. He stood up and walked towards the lake, still immersed in his own thoughts, dreams, and fears. Suddenly, he realized that he was not alone. Sirius sighed resignedly when he discovered just whom he had stumbled upon.

_I can't decide whether Fate is with me or against me. I mean, I __**did**_ _want to see him, but I was hoping it would be __**after**__ I had figured out what the hell I'm supposed to do._

With no other options, Sirius just stood there and gazed at the subject of his current dilemma. As usual, Remus was submerged in the pages of yet another tome, this time a very thick and ancient-looking one. Besides turning a page and occasionally lifting his hand to brush his hair away from his face, he didn't move from his position. Apparently, he hadn't noticed Sirius' arrival.

_Now what? Should I talk to him? What if he doesn't want to be disturbed? What if he's angry with me? Worse yet, what if he knows how I feel and is disgusted?_

:_What if you wasted your whole life worrying about the what-ifs and never actually found out the truth?_:

_Point taken._

Sirius took a deep breath and closed the remaining distance between him and Remus. Remus looked up, startled, and then went back to reading his book. Sirius ignored the pain he felt at being ignored and, instead, settled onto the grass beside Remus. A tense silence filled the air for what seemed like eternity.

Finally, Sirius decided he'd had enough.

"Remus."

Without taking his eyes off the book, Remus replied, "What is it?"

_Ouch. He won't even look me in the eye._

Sirius looked sadly at the back of Remus' head. "Did I offend you so much that you won't even look at me anymore?"

Startled for the second time, Remus quickly put down his book and caught Sirius' gaze. "What? You didn't do anything to offend me! What makes you think that?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe it's because you've been avoiding me like I'm a dementor or something," Sirius replied sarcastically.

_Or like your gay best friend who also happens to be in love with you._

Remus looked away. "It's not really your fault…"

"Then why are you avoiding me? If I didn't offend you, then what **did** I do?"

Remus picked up his book again and simply answered, "It's complicated."

Sirius grabbed Remus' book and threw it a few feet away. "That's not good enough, Remus. If I did something wrong, I want to know what it is so I can apologize. If I didn't do anything, then I deserve to know why you're mad at me."

Deprived of his only means of escaping the conversation entirely, Remus resorted to staring at his own hands to avoid having to look at Sirius. "I'm not mad at you. If anything, I thought you were mad at me."

"What? I'm not mad at you either. Why would I be mad? You were avoiding me because you thought I was mad at you?" Sirius was getting confused.

"No, that's not it…"

"Then why?" Sirius was determined not to leave without an answer.

Remus finally looked up. "You really want to know why? Fine. Meet me here tonight. After dinner. I just need some time to think about what I'm going to say."

Sirius wanted to know now, but Remus was adamant. Finally, Sirius gave in.

"Fine. I'll meet you here tonight. But I won't wait any longer than that."

:_Who do you think you're kidding? You'll wait for eternity if that's what it takes._:

_I know… But I still want to find out now. If he knows how I feel, then it's better if we clear things up sooner rather than later._

He snapped out of his reverie when he realized Remus was talking again.

"Thanks, Sirius. I promise, I'll tell you tonight."

Sirius nodded with feigned contentment, but internally he was in turmoil. If Remus really did know how Sirius felt, their friendship could very well end that night. Sirius didn't know if he could survive that.

_Whatever happens, everything will change tonight._

Sorry for the cliffhanger I wanted to gather my thoughts before I wrote the ending. Hope you enjoyed it. Please review!


	5. Sunset

**Warnings: shonen-ai (boy/boy love), slight violence, angst, use of the "H" word**

**Disclaimers: All the characters, places, things, etc. in this story belong to J.K. Rowling. Sue me and you'll only get heaps of Star Wars books and outdated lightsabers :P **

**Notes: Finally, the last chapter is here, and it's the longest chapter of all. Thanks to those who stuck with this fic for the past five years (yes, it's been that long already). In case anyone's interested, I just want to explain why it took me so long to finish this story (besides the usual laziness, of course). Two words: Book Five. Sirius' death (or pseudo-death, depending on J.K. Rowling's fancy) in _Order of the Phoenix_ led to my lost of interest in this pairing and in the entire _Harry Potter_ fandom, although I still plan to buy Book Seven and watch the OotP movie. But with Sirius "beyond the Veil" and Remus suddenly and inexplicably (in my opinion, at least) paired with Tonks (Sirius' COUSIN, no less), I guess I just lost hope for the future of this pairing. So this will probably be my last _Harry Potter_ fanfic, although I still have some plot bunnies running amok in my head at the moment. With that said, I'll let you go on with your lives and with this long-overdue finale.**

_Italicized words _are thoughts.

**Chapter Five: Sunset**

The sun was beginning its downward journey into the horizon, setting the sky on fire with hues of crimson and gold. The grounds were relatively calm after the hustle and bustle of the day had wound down as students and staff retired to the comfort of their dormitories.

This tranquility was not mirrored by Remus Lupin's state of mind. Ignoring a chilly breeze that playfully tossed locks of auburn hair, Remus continued to stare blankly at the placid surface of the lake. His classes had ended half an hour ago, leaving him with nothing to do but think about his impending doom, otherwise known as his confession to one Sirius Black. He had tried thinking of the best way to reveal his more-than-friendly affections, but his inexperience in matters of the heart combined with the general state of turmoil in his mind made the task practically impossible. Even though it went against his meticulously planned nature, he would have to play it by ear. And that scared him almost as much as the idea of confessing.

In an attempt to distract himself, Remus tried to take solace in his memories with the Marauders: their first meeting, the countless pranks (and detentions), the lazy afternoons spent lounging in the common room or under a tree near the lake. And, of course, their discovery of his lycanthropy. Remus smiled as he recalled how each of his friends had reacted – James with the steadfast support and loyalty that was so characteristic of him, Peter with quiet but unforced acceptance. And Sirius with a fierce protectiveness that had surprised him with its intensity. In retrospect, that was probably the moment he had realized how much the other boy meant to him. And now he was most likely only moments away from ruining their friendship forever. Realizing the depressing turn his thoughts had taken, Remus shook his head vigorously. _Let's not think about that right now_. _I'll have more than enough time to mope when this is over._

Remus' internal monologue was interrupted when he heard footsteps crunching through the grass and had to concentrate on keeping his heart from leaping into his throat. Sure enough, Sirius was walking towards him, robes billowing slightly in the breeze. Remus closed his eyes for a few moments and tried his best to calm down. _Whatever else happens tonight, I want to do this without regrets.  
_

* * *

Sirius gingerly sat down on the grass beside Remus, watching his friend closely. _He looks as calm as ever, which is more than I can say for myself_, Sirius thought ruefully. He had been fretting over this conversation since this afternoon, and now he was finally going to find out if his fears were justified. Sirius forced himself to relax and settled back as comfortably as he could. After his initial impatience had passed, he decided that it would be best to wait for Remus to start the ball rolling, despite his nearly overwhelming need to know what was wrong.

Remus didn't stay silent for long, but he didn't jump straight into the heart of the matter either. "Do you remember when we first met? Us Marauders, I mean."

Sirius wondered at the seemingly irrelevant topic, but answered anyway. "Of course I do. We were all on our way to Hogwarts for the first time, James and I had just set off a dungbomb in Snape's cabin, and we were looking for a place to hide when we found you and Pete in your own cabin. You offered to let us hide under your seats until Snivellus had passed by." Sirius laughed. "That was a bloody good prank, if I do say so myself."

Remus sighed in mock regret. "I'm starting to wonder what came over me that day. Offering to harbor fugitives? What could I have been thinking?"

Sirius poked his friend's arm playfully. "Admit it, Moony. You were a closet prankster even then. Or maybe," Sirius added with a sly grin, "You were just awed by my charming good looks. Oh, don't worry about it, it's a natural reaction."

Sirius was gratified to see Remus laughing at his teasing remarks. The werewolf had seemed depressed lately, and Sirius was more than glad to lift his spirits even if he didn't know what was troubling the other boy. But Sirius' comment had apparently reminded Remus of the topic of their scheduled conversation, causing him to sober up and gaze solemnly at the lake.

Before Sirius could attempt to lighten the tension, Remus started speaking again. "It's strange how much time can change how we think, isn't it?"

Sirius, surprised by the sudden non sequitur, could only look at Remus in confusion.

"I used to think you were just one of those 'rich kids', born to privilege and accustomed to getting everything your way. You were always so confident, so sure of yourself. You could be arrogant at times, but who could blame you? You're Sirius Black – filthy rich and fully capable of turning girls and boys alike into piles of quivering goo with just your looks and charm. I didn't resent you for it, but I didn't see anything beyond that." Remus paused and looked straight at Sirius, who was still struggling to process the sudden turn the conversation had taken. _What in Merlin's name is Remus trying to say? _

"Then we became friends, and that changed everything."

Sirius blinked. _Just when I thought I knew where this conversation was going…_

"I'd have to be blind not to see how much you cared for us, for the Marauders. You always stood up for us, always tried to protect us from everything – Slytherins, nasty professors, detention, Filch, you name it. Never mind that you often got hexed or had to clean the dungeons without using magic. You were there for us. And you were there for me, when I needed you most." Remus didn't have to go into detail; Sirius knew he was talking about the day the Marauders had confronted Remus about his lycanthropy.

Remus seemed to steel himself before uttering his next words. "And I guess that's why I fell in love with you… But your 'looks and charm' probably didn't hurt…" Remus trailed off and glued his eyes to the grass beneath their feet.

Sirius realized that his jaw was hanging open, and quickly shut it in an attempt to mask his shock. Of all the scenarios his paranoid mind had conjured up, this certainly wasn't one of them. He rather felt like pinching himself to check if he was dreaming; having your deepest wish come true in front of your very eyes seemed like something that only happened in dreams.

Realizing that he still hadn't responded to Remus' confession, Sirius quickly composed himself. "You're right; time really does change a lot of things. Before, when I looked at you, I only saw a shy, quiet bookworm who always did his homework on time and let us copy from him without so much as a peep." Sirius grinned at Remus, who smiled slightly in response.

"But what I see now, that's a whole different story."

Remus looked up with wide eyes as Sirius took both of his hands and squeezed them gently. "Now I see a beautiful, kind-hearted, selfless, and utterly lovable werewolf who still does his homework on time and still lets us copy from him, but not without a lecture or two first." Sirius' grin widened at the faint blush on Remus' cheeks, and decided to tease the werewolf a bit. "So I guess that's why I fell in love with you, although I could probably do without the lectures." As expected, Remus' embarrassed expression faded into an indignant one as he playfully whapped Sirius on the head.

Sirius deftly avoided Remus' half-hearted swipes and managed to wrap his arms around the werewolf's waist, causing Remus to subside and snuggle into his embrace. Together, they watched the last of the sun's fire disappear into the dim twilight, eagerly awaiting what the next dawn would bring

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Thanks for reading! Please review! 


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